Introducing Schmidt Ocean Institute, the organization leading a new era of ocean exploration.
Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit operating foundation established in March 2009 to advance international oceanographic research, discovery, and knowledge. The organization’s goal is to catalyze the discoveries needed to understand our ocean, sustain life, and ensure the health of our planet. SOI achieves these goals through the pursuit of impactful scientific research and intelligent observation, technological advancement, open sharing of information, and public engagement at the highest levels of international excellence. Their primary tools for advancing their vision are R/V Falkor (too) and ROV SuBastian, which they make freely available to scientists worldwide. Learn more about SOI’s efforts in their 2021 Impact Report. 

One Ocean - Seven Continents 
SOI supports expanding knowledge about the ocean as it touches all seven continents and is committed to exploring one poorly understood ocean region per year.  The organization merges research, technology development, and broader engagement across seven topical areas essential to exploring and answering critical questions to characterize our ocean. The topical areas include future technologies, human effects, seafloor mapping, biodiversity, deep-sea exploration, ocean health, and the ocean’s physical processes. The organization's strategic framework lays out its plans for supporting bold oceanographic research during the next decade. 

A New Platform 
Research Vessel Falkor (too) is Schmidt Ocean Institute’s newly acquired platform for advancing ocean exploration.  The ship is 110-meters in length, can host up to 97 people for research expeditions, and remain at sea for up to four months. R/V Falkor (too) is being transformed into a state-of-the-art research vessel and will launch towards the end of 2022. The ship has eight lab spaces, three multibeam echosounder arrays, and two moonpools for launching robotic platforms, including ROV SuBastian. Learn more about ROV SuBastian here and the Falkor (too) transformation in this video series. 

Supporting New Ocean Leaders
Engaging future ocean caretakers from an early age and training oceanographers worldwide are critical for advancing ocean knowledge. To support the next generation, SOI provides content and motivation for future ocean scientists, targeting high schools, colleges, and universities through various programs to enhance global inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in marine science and technology careers. SOI is proud to support the MATE ROV Competition and considers MATE one of the leading organizations supporting the next generation of ocean stewards and leaders. Learn more at www.schmidtocean.org.